Retired and rehired: Isle of Wight attorney is back

Burton returns part-time to help with School Board

ISLE OF WIGHT – Three months after retiring, former Isle of Wight County Attorney A. Paul Burton is back on the county's payroll.

Burton retired as the county's top legal counsel in late July; in September, the Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors promoted Mark Popovich, assistant county attorney since 2004, to Burton's former position. Also in September, Smithfield lawyer Woody Crook, who represented the Isle of Wight School Board for decades, resigned.

Burton is now working part-time – approximately 25 hours a week – for Popovich's office to provide legal representation for the School Board. Burton will be paid $75,000 annually, said county spokesman Don Robertson.

Septic grants available

Isle of Wight County is offering grants to help low- to moderate-income homeowners who live in the areas within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with the cost of pumping their septic tanks.

To qualify for the program, applicants must not have had their on-site septic systems pumped within the last five years and must live in the part of the county within the watershed, said Robertson. Most of the eastern half of the county is in the watershed, with the western boundary following Courthouse Highway toward Windsor and then cutting across to the Suffolk city line.

Participants must fill out an application form and submit proof of income and home ownership. The financial guidelines start at $39,150 for a one-person household.

All applications have to be approved by the Isle of Wight County Department of Planning and Zoning. For more information and applications, call Kim Hummel at 357-9114.

Prescription drug collection

Got painkillers left from last year's surgery or expired medications cluttering up your cabinets?

The Smithfield Police Department, partnering with state law enforcement agencies, is participating in National Take-Back Day, which allows the public turn in unused medications for proper disposal. Local residents can take unwanted prescription drugs to the Smithfield Police Department, 1613 S. Church St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29.

The take-back day is designed to reduce abuse of prescription drugs and safely dispose of medications without contaminating water supplies.

Zombies!

Don't freak out if you see zombies roaming through downtown Smithfield.

Ghouls of all ages are invited to participate in the Smithfield Rotary Club's first Zombie Walk, along Main Street on Oct. 29. The event is designed to promote polio awareness among young people in Isle of Wight County.

Zombies will gather at 5 p.m. outside the shuttered Little's Supermarket, 518 Main St. The walk will begin at 5:30 p.m., and end with refreshments in the parking lot behind the Bank of Southside Virginia.

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